Sarah Silverman, Matt Damon and 8 other superstars to spot in Heartland Film Festival lineup

Ashley Petry

IndyStar correspondent

It’s easy to get overwhelmed at the Heartland Film Festival. This year’s schedule, Oct. 12-22, includes 292 film screenings at venues across the city — everything from animated shorts to full-length documentaries and dramas.

Start by focusing on your favorite actors. Stars of this year’s films include Academy Award winners, box office favorites and famous comedians.

Here are 10 superstars to spot in this year’s Heartland Film Festival selections:

Woody Harrelson

• Career highlights: After a breakout role on “Cheers,” Harrelson starred in films such as “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Indecent Proposal” and “Natural Born Killers.” He also appeared in “No Country for Old Men,” the four “Hunger Games” movies and the popular “True Detective” series. He has twice been nominated for an Academy Award: for “The People vs. Larry Flynt” and “The Messenger.”

• Heartland film: Harrelson plays the title role in “LBJ,” a Lyndon B. Johnson biopic that depicts his sudden rise to the presidency after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The film also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh as Lady Bird Johnson. It was directed by Rob Reiner, this year’s recipient of Heartland’s Pioneering Spirit: Lifetime Achievement Award.

• See it: “LBJ” will be screened at 7 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. The screening is part of Heartland Film Festival’s opening night party, which Reiner is scheduled to attend. Local favorite Josh Kaufman of “The Voice” will perform. Tickets are $42 for museum members and $50 for nonmembers.

Bill Pullman

• Career highlights: After starring in 1987’s “Spaceballs,” Pullman had roles in “The Accidental Tourist,” “Newsies” and “A League of Their Own.” He starred alongside Sandra Bullock in “While You Were Sleeping” and played the U.S. president in “Independence Day,” a role he reprised in last year’s sequel.

• Heartland film: Pullman plays the title character in “The Ballad of Lefty Brown,” an old-school Western set in Montana. At 63, Brown has spent his whole life as a sidekick. But when his boss is murdered, Brown is forced to grow up, and he embarks on a journey to seek justice for his friend. If you want to see more of Pullman, he also makes appearances in “LBJ” and “Walking Out.”

Catherine Keener

• Career highlights: Keener has received two Academy Award nominations for her roles in “Being John Malkovich” and “Capote.” She’s also known for “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Captain Phillips” and “Into the Wild,” and she starred alongside Jennifer Aniston and Frances McDormand in the indie favorite “Friends with Money.”

• Heartland film: In “Little Pink House,” Keener plays a nurse who fights to protect her blue-collar neighborhood from the wrecking ball. The film also stars Jeanne Tripplehorn as the leader of the commercial redevelopment effort. Based on a true story, “Little Pink House” raises questions about the government’s practice of using eminent domain to claim private property.

J.K. Simmons

• Career highlights: You may know Simmons from his Farmers Insurance commercials, or perhaps from the Spider-Man and Avengers films, in which he plays newspaper editor J. Jonah Jameson. He has also appeared in “Juno,” “Burn After Reading” and “Whiplash,” and on TV series such as “Law & Order,” “Oz” and “The Closer.”

• Heartland film: In “The Bachelors,” Simmons stars as a father who — after the untimely death of his wife — moves across the country with his teenage son to teach at an elite private school. Can a new setting help the two manage their grief and depression? “The Bachelors” premiered in June at the Los Angeles Film Festival.

Gary Sinise

• Career highlights: After a breakout role in the 1992 miniseries “The Stand,” based on the Stephen King novel, Sinise won America’s hearts with his portrayal of Lt. Dan Taylor in “Forrest Gump.” He also starred in “Apollo 13” and “The Green Mile” and earned multiple award nominations for his role in the 1995 HBO film “Truman.” He spent a decade on “CSI: NY” and later appeared in “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.”

• Heartland film: The documentary “Gary Sinise: Always Do a Little More” profiles the actor’s passion for supporting the men and women of the U.S. military, veterans and their families. It includes interviews with Sinise and with director Robert Zemeckis, actor Joe Mantegna, celebrity chef Robert Irvine and many others. It was recently chosen as the best documentary short at the GI Film Festival.

Forest Whitaker

• Career highlights: Whitaker’s first major film role was 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” He later appeared in films such as “The Color of Money,” “Platoon” and “Good Morning, Vietnam,” and more recently “Rogue One” and “Arrival.” Whitaker received an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.” He has also directed several films, including 1995’s “Waiting to Exhale.”

• Heartland film: Whitaker narrates “Triumph: The Untold Story of Perry Wallace,” a documentary about one of the first black scholarship athletes to play in the Southeastern Conference. Billed as “a unique window on America’s civil rights movement,” it includes never-before-seen footage of Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as interviews with former attorney general Eric Holder, Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and others.

• See it: 3 p.m. Oct. 16, AMC Showplace Traders Point 12.

Matt Damon

• Career highlights: Damon’s early career included 1990s films such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and “Good Will Hunting,” which earned him an Academy Award for best original screenplay. He has starred in multiple films in the Jason Bourne and Ocean’s Eleven franchises, as well as films such as “Syriana,” “The Departed” and “The Martian.”

• Heartland film: Damon narrates “Backpack Full of Cash,” a documentary about the growing privatization of public schools. Filmed during the 2013-14 school year, it focuses on troubled school systems in cities such as Philadelphia and New Orleans — and the educators, parents and students who are fighting to preserve public education.

Shelley Long

• Career highlights: A Fort Wayne native, Long is best known for her role as Diane Chambers on “Cheers.” Her film career includes highlights such as “The Brady Bunch Movie,” “The Money Pit” and “Troop Beverly Hills.” More recently, she’s had a recurring role on “Modern Family,” playing DeDe Pritchett.

• Heartland film: Long plays Grandma Mildred in the dramedy “Different Flowers,” which she also co-produced. The film follows two sisters, Millie and Emma, who embark on a road trip after Millie leaves her fiancé at the altar. Filmed on location in Kansas City, Mo., the film is billed as “a love letter to the heartland.”

Sarah Silverman

• Career highlights: After a short stint on “Saturday Night Live,” Silverman went on to star in several TV comedy specials and her own show, “The Sarah Silverman Program.” She has also appeared in films such as “There’s Something About Mary” and “School of Rock,” and has voiced characters in the film “Wreck-It Ralph” and TV cartoons such as “Bob’s Burgers,” “The Simpsons” and “Futurama.”

• Heartland film: Are comedians allowed to joke about the Holocaust? If not, who decides which other subjects are off limits? Those are the questions at the core of “The Last Laugh,” a documentary featuring comedians such as Silverman, Mel Brooks and Gilbert Gottfried. Shot on Super 16 mm film, the documentary interweaves the comedians’ interviews with an intimate portrait of Auschwitz survivor Renee Firestone.

Jack McBrayer

• Career highlights: Even if you don’t recognize McBrayer from his role as a goofy NBC page on “30 Rock,” you probably know his voice. He has brought animated characters to life in films such as “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Smurfs: The Lost Village” and “Despicable Me,” and on TV series such as “Phineas and Ferb” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates.” He’s also appeared in multiple films, including “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”

• Heartland film: McBrayer has a supporting role in the romcom “We Love You, Sally Carmichael!” The title character is famous for her wildly popular series of romance novels about a girl in love with a merman. The only problem? Carmichael is actually Simon Hayes, who wants to be seen as a serious novelist. When the book series lands a movie deal, he fears he will at last be unmasked.